Description
A comforting and efficient meal prep recipe featuring pillowy potato gnocchi tossed in a rich brown butter sage emulsion with crispy pancetta. This dish improves in flavor over time, making it perfect for four days of delicious, stress-free dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter
- 12–15 fresh sage leaves
- 1 pound (450g) store-bought potato gnocchi
- 4 ounces (113g) crispy pancetta, pre-sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup (50g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salted water for boiling
- Reserved pasta water (approx. ½ cup)
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Chop garlic, measure Parmesan, and rinse and pat dry sage leaves.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they float (2-3 minutes).
- Before draining, scoop out ½ cup of starchy pasta water and set aside. Drain gnocchi and set aside.
- While gnocchi cooks, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it melts, foams, and turns deep amber with a nutty aroma (3-5 minutes).
- Add sage leaves to the brown butter; cook until crisp (30 seconds). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In the same skillet, cook pancetta until crispy (2-3 minutes). Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
- Return skillet to low heat. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add cooked gnocchi to the skillet and toss to coat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water to emulsify.
- Remove from heat. Gradually add Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until melted and creamy. Add more pasta water if too thick.
- Fold in crispy sage and half of the crispy pancetta.
- Divide into four containers. Top with remaining pancetta. Let cool completely before sealing to prevent sogginess.
Notes
Watch the butter closely to avoid burning. Reserve pasta water for sauce emulsification. Cool gnocchi completely before storing to maintain texture. For a lighter version, use half the butter and less Parmesan. For dairy-free, substitute butter with olive oil and Parmesan with nutritional yeast.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 420
- Fat: 26
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 52
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 14
Keywords: brown butter gnocchi, sage gnocchi, meal prep, pancetta, Italian dinner, comfort food, easy weeknight dinner, gluten-free option